Bainbridge Island WA

[PeterNBiddle]

Overdue diver presumed dead off Bainbridge Island
By KOMO Staff

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. - Local emergency personnel have called off the search for the body of a diver who ran into trouble off the southern end of Bainbridge Island and is now presumed dead.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/...ainbridge-Island-217238951.html?m=y&smobile=y

 

[Gdog]

So sad. Condolences to the family, and prayers.

 

[DiverGirl1972]

[h=1]Overdue diver presumed dead off Bainbridge Island[/h]By KOMO StaffPublished: Jul 27, 2013 at 11:34 AM PDTLast Updated: Jul 27, 2013 at 4:32 PM PDT
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. - Local emergency personnel have called off the search for the body of a diver who ran into trouble off the southern end of Bainbridge Island and is now presumed dead.

The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office reports that the search was called off Saturday after the current became too dangerous in the area. A private diving company plans to resume the search at slack tide.

The original call for help came in at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, when the Coast Guard in Seattle was notified of a diver who was about 10 minutes overdue in the area of Blakely Rock, just outside Bainbridge Island's Blakely Harbor.

The 48-year-old recreational diver had been underwater for about 45 minutes when the distress call came in, officials said.

The Coast Guard initiated a search along with other divers who were in the area. Those divers reportedly located the missing diver on the bottom but were unable to bring him up for reasons that were not immediately clear.

Divers and medics with the Seattle Fire Department and Kitsap County fire and rescue groups were then called to the scene to assist, but subsequent efforts to find the diver were unsuccessful.


Posted story from link...

 

[vancouverdiver]

Diver presumed dead at Blakely Rock near Bainbridge Island | The Today File | Seattle Times
[h=2][/h]

[h=2]Diver presumed dead at Blakely Rock near Bainbridge Island[/h] Posted by Keith Ervin
A search was suspended Saturday afternoon for the body of a scuba diver believed to have died during a recreational dive at Blakely Rock, a small reef in Puget Sound east of Bainbridge Island.
The Bainbridge Police Department boat, about a minute away from the scene, responded to a call around 10 a.m. asking for help finding and rescuing a missing diver, Police Officer Dale Johnson said.
Boats from the Coast Guard, Seattle Harbor Patrol and Seattle Fire Department joined in the search near the rocky island, with divers from the two Seattle departments going into the water, authorities said. The victim was a 48-year-old man, the Seattle Fire Department reported.
The rescue effort became a recovery effort around 11:45 a.m., when searchers concluded the man had died, Fire Department Lt. Sue Stangl said.
Eric Cookson of the Coast Guard said rescue divers at one point located the body of the missing man under the water, “but when they went back for him he was not there.”
Emerald Diving’s website describes Blakely Rock as a good place to find wolf eels, giant Pacific octopus and colorful invertebrates, but notes there can be strong currents.

 

[DandyDon]

Recovered: Diver pulled from Bainbridge waters » Kitsap Sun

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — The body of a diver who went missing Saturday was recovered from waters off Blakely Rock near Bainbridge Island on Monday afternoon.
Bainbridge police said the man was a 65-year-old Bainbridge resident. The cause of death is not yet clear. His identity is being withheld until his next of kin are notified.
Seattle Police Department Harbor Patrol divers recovered the body at around 1 p.m. from a depth of about 108 feet.
The man went missing near Blakely Rock on Saturday morning. Search crews, which included Bainbridge police, the Coast Guard, Bainbridge Island Fire Department, Seattle Fire Department and nearby divers, were unable to find the body on Saturday.
On Sunday, recreational divers located the body at a depth of about 70 feet. The divers marked the body with a buoy but strong currents inhibited recovery until Monday.
“The water was not conducive to getting him out,” Bainbridge police Lt. Bob Day said. “The currents were a lot easier today.”
The body was taken to the Bainbridge ferry terminal and was awaiting pickup by the Kitsap County Coroner’s Office, which is expected to begin determining a cause of death sometime this week.
Bainbridge police had initially scheduled Navy divers to retrieve the body on Monday, but their participation was nixed “at the last minute” because their commanding officers determined communication protocols had not been followed between police and the diving crew, Day said.
“The Navy divers were champing at the bit, just waiting to come help,” he said. “Fortunately, Seattle (police) were also ready to help us out.”
Bainbridge police say they’ll work with the Navy to improve communication.
More information about the diver will be posted once it is available.

 

[ADeadlierSnake]

Post on our local forum from one of the divers who found the body Northwest Dive Club ? View topic - Missing diver off Blakely Rocks